The present invention relates to folding chairs and more particularly, to a highly versitile multi-configuration portable folding chair. Portable folding chairs are well-known and are commonly used for sitting and sunning and are very popular on sandy beaches. Bringing a chair to the beach or other recreational area, however, creates certain problems. Such chairs must be lightweight and compact. The person carrying the chair is often also carrying towels, clothing, lotions, reading materials and perhaps a bulky or awkward umbrella. To facilitate carrying of all these items, some users of existing folding chairs have tried to put their towels and other items between the folded seat and back of their chairs. However, the use of such chairs as a storage and carrying means is quite limited and cumbersome and often results in the chair unfolding and spilling its contents.
When using folding chairs at the beach, many people unfold a separate umbrella and set it up in the sand to keep all or part of their bodies in the shade. The use of such sun umbrellas is becoming more widespread in light of information that excessive exposure to the sun may cause skin cancer. The problem with existing umbrellas is that they must be carried separately and are heavy and awkward. It is also not uncommon for umbrellas to fall or be blown over by the wind since such umbrellas are merely embedded in the sand. Attempts to clamp the umbrella to such chairs have often resulted in cumbersome clamping means which are difficult to adjust and prone toward breakage.
Another use to which folding chairs are commonly put is as a backrest for sunbathing. For such use, people take existing chairs and turn them upside down so that the chair back becomes an inclined back and headrest while the person sits directly on the sand, ground or on a towel. However, as as the chair does not provide an extending flap such as that found on actual backrests, the force of the person leaning against the chair commonly causes the chair to slide away from the person thereby resulting in discomfort and the necessity of frequent repositioning of the inverted chair. The use of existing chairs as a backrest also results in user discomfort because the chair frame extends from the backside of the chair back panel against which the user is resting and presses against the user's arms and back. Further, as the user leans against the chair back, his head receives either no support or is supported by an existing rear leg member which is not properly aligned with the chair back for user comfort. Additionally, there is no convenient place to rest one's arms when using a conventional folding chair in an inverted backrest position.
Because of the large number of people that one commonly finds at the beach or other public recreation areas, it would be commercially desirable for companies to place advertising logos upon such chairs. Unfortunately, existing portable folding chairs do not provide good unobstructed advertising panels. When the chairs are in the upright sitting position, the chair back is inclined downwardly and the chair seat is obviously not visible. When used as a carrying device, the chair leg members and the arms of the person carrying the chair obstruct one's view of the seat panel and the arms of the person carrying the chair generally block the view of the back panel. It is no surprise therefore that the use of recreational folding chairs as an advertising media has gone heretofore unrealized. The folding chair disclosed herein not only solves all the use problems experienced with existing chairs outlined above but also provides an unobstructed panel for use as an advertising novelty.